with hope and joy, for the savior has been born for us. >> for many in the audience, hearing the message in their own language was an obvious highlight. then came the blessing -- to the city and to the world. >> we are joined now in our studio by our religious affairs correspondent. it has been a busy year for the pope and the catholic church. >> it has indeed. it started off in february when he appointed 22 new cardinals, all europeans, to correct, as he saw it, the imbalance in the college of cardinals, created by his predecessor, john paul ii, who appointed a lot of latin americans. the pope wanted to restore the balance, as he saw it. then, of course, although he is 86 or will be in april, he said he was not going to travel much. in fact, he traveled quite a bit. he was in mexico, in cuba. he went to lebanon, celebrated a mass just 80 kilometers from where the fighting was. it has been a very busy year. and he published the third volume of his study in jesus christ. >> last night on christmas eve, the pope made one, that caught a lot of people's eyes, which was about technology, quit